A while back, I visited Efteling, where I noticed that almost every ride has its own distinctive theme song. These songs play while you’re waiting in line (e.g., The Flying Dutchman, Fata Morgana) or during the ride (e.g., Carnival Festival, Monsieur Cannibale). Most of these tunes were written by Efteling specifically for the ride and tailored to it.

Another example is Vogel Rok. Its exciting tune plays through speakers installed in the cars. The melody begins as the roller coaster climbs the lift hill and ends the moment the train pulls back into the station. In the Fairytale Forest, the “singing mushrooms” also have their own song: Johann Sebastian Bach’s Minuet in G.

You guessed it: this isn’t just the case at Efteling. You can hear those catchy tunes at other parks, too. Pretty clever, huh? Especially since the songs are really hard to get out of your head.

It’s a fun ride, and it blends in beautifully with the Mexican-themed square. I’m talking about El Volador, a bird-themed Topple Tower ride by Huss. When Bellewaerde Park opened this attraction in 2005, it was a world first. Virtually every ride on El Volador is identical—the video makes that very clear.

– The disc you’re sitting in starts to spin, and you’re hoisted to the top.
– Once at the top, you keep spinning, and then the tower tilts.
– It tilts and rights itself again—in different directions—repeating this several times while the disc continues to spin.
– Then the tower rights itself, and you’re lowered back down.

But El Volador has a “flaw.” Every 5 rides or so, the ride is unable to tilt the pole in all directions . It does tilt, but only in the same two directions, without the entire structure rotating. According to the operators, this is perfectly normal. Keep an eye out for it if you ever get the chance to admire this beautiful yet “handicapped” attraction!

You may be familiar with the delicious spreadable honey from Meli. To raise awareness of the product, Meli Park was established in Adinkerke (on the Belgian coast) in 1952.

The park no longer exists, but—to secure its future—it was transferred to Studio 100, which transformed the land of fairy tales and bees into the well-known Plopsaland.

For those who knew Meli—myself included—the park is pure nostalgia.

Did you know that Efteling released a PC game called Efteling Tycoon back in 2008, in collaboration with Atari?

The game's release was delayed several times, but it eventually came out. The fans were happy, but once they bought and installed it, the problems started to surface.

It turned out that not only did you need a super-powerful PC to run the game (the system requirements are very high), but the graphics were—to put it mildly—horrible.

After a flood of complaints, Atari decided to pull a batch of games from the shelves, only to put them back later. This time with a new cover, on which the message “Please note the system requirements” needed no further explanation.

Despite this re-release, online forums are full of negative comments about the game.

You’re probably familiar with Google Earth: the program that lets you zoom in on places around the world—all from the comfort of your couch. It’s fun, but what’s even better is that you can also view maps of amusement parks.

Type in the name of a park, press Enter, and you’ll be taken directly to that park. It’s usually displayed in 2-D (“flat”), although Disneyland Paris is an exception: you can view it in 3-D.

The 2007 edition of the Dutch dictionary *De Grote Van Dale* includes many new words. One of them fits perfectly with the theme of this blog: *roller-coaster existence* (or *roller-coaster life*).

The explanation is simple: just as a roller coaster can be hectic (with its ups and downs and sharp turns), so too can life sometimes be. Anyone leading a roller-coaster life is caught up in a frantic existence where they’re juggling a million things at once.

For some people, the word might have a different meaning: spending your whole life traveling to amusement parks and carnivals just to ride a roller coaster! 🙂

Which amusement park is the best is a matter of personal preference. The Disneyland parks are currently the best in the world; in Europe, that would be the park in Paris. But what about Belgium?
The bottom line? Stop by and see for yourself!

Here is a selection.

Bobbejaanland (Lichtaart)
Bob Schoepen's park is the ultimate family park. In addition to spectacular rides and roller coasters, you'll also find playgrounds and a Kids' Zone.

Boudewijnpark (Bruges)
This park aims primarily to educate visitors about marine life through museums and dolphin shows. In addition to the dolphinarium, the park also offers a wide range of attractions for visitors of all ages.

Plopsaland (Adinkerke)
For some time now, Plop the Gnome and friends have had their own amusement park; parents are welcome to join their children on the rides, but the park is primarily designed for kids. Samson & Gert regularly make appearances, and spectacular shows are performed.

Six Flags Belgium (Waver)
This popular destination offers around 50 attractions for all ages. In addition to its popular roller coasters (such as the Vampire), the park now features a special children’s area.

Bellewaerde Park (Ypres)
The park places a strong emphasis on the animals in its integrated zoo. But in addition to animal lovers, amusement park fans will also find plenty to enjoy with the many attractions.

Let’s go back in time to 2005.

In the U.S., players had been able to enjoy it since October 25, and in Europe a little later, where the release of Rollercoaster Tycoon 3’s second expansion pack, “Wild 3,” hit store shelves on November 4, 2005.

True fans were clearly waiting for this to add some extra features to their amusement parks.

While the first expansion, “Soaked!”, introduces a whole host of water-themed elements, “Wild!” gives you every opportunity to include a zoo in your park—and, in a sense, to build your very own Bellewaerde.

This third installment features many moving animal and plant species, special roller coasters, and lots of new attractions. A fun addition for the time being!

I once faced a tough decision: should I buy the Casio keyboard(model WK-3200) for 448 euros, or not?

By thinking first and then deciding, I acted on what seemed best to me. Namely, saving up the money to buy a better and different model than my current WK-1200 later on. In my opinion, the two models aren’t different enough to justify spending that much money on one of them.

Since I was at Makro anyway, I decided to buy the expansion pack for Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 for 30 euros, called “Soaked” or “Dolle Waterpret.”
For a moment, I was worried my PC wouldn’t recognize the game, but apparently that wasn’t a problem.

So I was able to fill my dull, wintery moments by building summer water parks.